Review of Reading People by Anne Bogel

If you already are interested in personality tests and analyzing personality then you will love Reading People by Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy fame.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover (yes, I do judge a book by its cover. Sorry, I can’t help it!). I was also drawn to it because it is by Anne Bogel. Although I haven’t read a lot on Modern Mrs. Darcy, the blog about all things books and reading, I have really liked what I have read. She is intelligent and treats her readers so. She has developed a book club community that is so different than any other blog out there. Her website design is so classy, too.

I love her What Should I Read Next? Podcast. Her guests are interesting because they are real people who are well-read and well-spoken. She has her guest share three books they love, one book they hate, and what they are reading currently. Based on those lists, Anne suggests titles for their next read. What a clever premise and when I’m listening I fill up my Goodreads want-to-read list. All that to say, I wanted to read Reading People because it was by Anne Bogel, not because it was about personality types.

That must have also been the downfall of the book to me. I am just not interested enough in personality types to have loved the book.

When I was younger (in my early 20s) I liked to think about analyzing what makes me who I am. At that time I read The Five Love Languages and The Birth Order Bookand books about differences between men and women. But I feel like I have moved on. Now I am more interested in reading and thinking about my character which I can change instead of my personality type which I cannot. I am more interested in reading about what I can do rather than what I am made of. That’s just my stage of life at the moment. Right now I am not convinced of the value of studying personality.

That’s the other reason I didn’t love the book. The tagline is “how seeing the world through the lens of personality changes everything.” I don’t think Anne delivered on that point. Other than a few quippy stories here and there, a reader like me who wasn’t already gung-ho about personality was left wondering why all this personality stuff matters anyway.

Despite that, please, if you are a reader who has not checked out Modern Mrs. Darcy or What Should I Read Next? do yourself a favor and check those out. They are incredible and worth your time. Some of my favorites posts are:

Post navigation

2 thoughts on “Review of Reading People by Anne Bogel”

Rachel! I’m so glad you wrote about this. I have loved the Modern Mrs. Darcy website and have heard a lot of hype about her new book. I haven’t had time to read it, but other than the cover being delightful – the topic didn’t intrigue me much. As a mother, I think it is important for me to pay attention to the personality types of my children, so I can help them grow in their strength areas and so that I am sensitive to their needs (i.e. having only one in four of my kids being VERY introverted and learning how to build in the alone time he needs). I will definitely check out the podcasts you mentioned and fill up my to-read list, as well! I love both of your new blogs, your downloadable devotional and will do all I can to help your readership grow on my end! Hugs, friend!

I’m trying to think: “what would I want Anne Bogel to write a book about? what would I expect her to write about?” I don’t think I have an answer to that. I guess maybe a book with lists of books, but that would be outdated quickly. Like Honey for a Child’s Heart, but for adults?